This past month, approximately fifty Christendom students traveled from Front Royal, Virginia, to conferences across America, attending the University of Notre Dame’s Center for Ethics and Culture fall conference on Notre Dame’s campus and the Clare Boothe Luce Conference in Santa Barbara, California. The students engaged with academics and thought leaders at both conferences, leaving them motivated to better impact the philosophical, political, and theological conversations surrounding the world today.
Christendom students have opportunities to attend conferences throughout the academic year, taking what they learn in the classroom out into the broader academic world. This year marked the eighth year that students have attended the Ethics and Culture conference at Notre Dame and the second year they have attended the Clare Boothe Luce conference. For senior Madeline Gecosky, who organized the trip to Notre Dame this year, that conference provided the valuable opportunity to engage with other intellectual leaders on the crucial topics impacting the world today.
“Christendom’s mission is to ‘Restore All Things in Christ,’” says Gecosky. “One of the ways that we can do this is to restore modern academia to Christ. Academia has become increasingly secularized. In order to do this, we should support and encourage other like-minded Catholic intellectuals. We need to be present where the Catholic intellectuals are. We need to hear their wisdom and wrestle with the big questions along with them. Our students are the next generation of intellectuals and academics. We need to support from and learn from the best.”
The annual conference, hosted at Notre Dame, is one of the more popular in the country, drawing some of the most renowned academics in the world together to discuss issues of ethics and culture with fellow academics and college students. Over the course of the three-day conference, which this year focused on the concept of persons, students were able to attend numerous talks, including ones from professors Michael Stevens and John O’Callaghan.
Their addresses were challenging but also enlightening for the students, exposing them to new ideas on a topic so key to modern society. Gecosky saw these talks as mutually beneficial for Christendom students and for the presenters, with Christendom students well prepared to dialogue with them over the course of the conference.
“Christendom students have a lot to offer an event like this,” says Gecosky. “The coordinators of the conference always welcome us with open arms. Christendom students know how to dialogue with their peers and with those who hold offices above them. They are attentive, perceptive, and sensitive to truth.”
Other students, meanwhile, were able to attend the Clare Booth Luce Conference, held this year in California. The conference, which featured talks from several acclaimed women working on issues in society today, was originally brought to students’ attention by Director of Career and Professional Development Kristin Stephens. Looking to take advantage of the opportunity to network and learn outside the classroom, students made the trip for the second consecutive year.
The Clare Boothe Luce Conference was held in Santa Barbara, California, this year. Students spent the majority of their time listening to speakers, but on Saturday morning they were also given a private tour of Reagan Ranch which was the favorite home of President Reagan during his presidency. Credit: Richard Garnica Photography.
Senior Margaret Williamson was one of the students who attended the conference last year and eagerly signed up to attend it again. For Williamson, the talks at this year’s conference helped emphasize how essential Christendom students are in working towards creating a Godly society.
“I chose to attend the Clare Boothe Luce conference a second time because the first time was so informative and beneficial for me as a young woman trying to be involved and learn more about the conservative movement and the societal problems of today,” says Williamson. “I believe it is important for young conservatives, especially young Catholic conservatives, to educate and prepare themselves for life after school. Specifically, for those who attended from Christendom College, I believe it was important to attend because we are given the philosophical and historical reasons for how the culture has decayed in today’s world, but we also need to understand what current work is being done in order to reverse the culture. Restoring the culture will require restoration in all areas of life, but in our country, there is a great need for community and political action. The various talks given at the summit felt supplementary to the education I’ve been receiving at Christendom over the past three and half years. In some ways it felt like taking what I learned in the classroom and seeing it being applied practically in the fight for a cultural revival.”
While at the conference, students heard from speakers such as Riley Gaines, Paula Scanlon, Abby Johnson, and Lisa Saftari. The entire experience was impactful for sophomore Anastasia Piroch, who also attended last year’s conference.
This was the second time senior Margaret Williamson had attended the conference. She even introduced one of the speakers, Lisa Daftari, during the conference. Credit: Richard Garnica Photography.
“I chose to go again this year as it greatly impacted my political outlook, involvement, and eventual career path,” says Piroch. “We received talks on various current issues, ranging from human trafficking, liberal and true feminism, and foreign affairs in light of Christian values. Further, the speakers were present the entire summit, giving us the opportunity to network and pursue internships. Part of what played into my preparation, no doubt, were the many Christendom presentations provided by the college’s career development office. The presentations covered a wide range of applicable topics, such as public speaking, how to interview well, and professionalism, which made networking at the conference simple.”
Students have numerous opportunities to attend conferences, summits, and guest lectures while at Christendom, with many attending conferences at Notre Dame, in Washington, D.C., and elsewhere. These unique opportunities provide students with the chance to learn and network with important figures, giving them a leg up as they prepare for their careers after graduation.
For the students who traveled to both of this year’s conferences, the opportunity to engage and network with renowned academics and thought leaders was enough reason to attend them. However, they were also able to grow in their education as well through their attendance, giving them even better preparation to go out and “restore all things in Christ” both now and following graduation.